Why is it...

[LarsMal]

when the ILs come to town the house needs to look like it was scoured from top to bottom, but when my family comes to visit DH could care less? He will help pick up before my fam comes, but he doesn't care if the bathrooms are clean or the house is dusted, etc. I give him credit, though, he did do a little cleaning before he went to bed last night so I wouldn't have as much to do, but our standards are a little different!

Granted, his parents don't come here nearly as often as mine do, but still. It's the same whenever his friends come to visit, too. Of course I want the house to be presentable, too, but he makes me feel like it needs to look like it was professionally cleaned. Maybe I should just tell him if he wants it to look THAT good, then I need to hire someone to come and do it. Instead, I spent two hours this morning trying to clean bathrooms with two little ones at my feet. Luckily I was using "green" products! I turned my back for one minute and DD (14 mos) decided to "help" me by splashing around in the toilet. YUMMY!!!

Can't wait for the visit!!! I need a drink already!

[gatorsmom]

when the ILs come to town the house needs to look like it was scoured from top to bottom, but when my family comes to visit DH could care less? He will help pick up before my fam comes, but he doesn't care if the bathrooms are clean or the house is dusted, etc. I give him credit, though, he did do a little cleaning before he went to bed last night so I wouldn't have as much to do, but our standards are a little different!

Granted, his parents don't come here nearly as often as mine do, but still. It's the same whenever his friends come to visit, too. Of course I want the house to be presentable, too, but he makes me feel like it needs to look like it was professionally cleaned. Maybe I should just tell him if he wants it to look THAT good, then I need to hire someone to come and do it. Instead, I spent two hours this morning trying to clean bathrooms with two little ones at my feet. Luckily I was using "green" products! I turned my back for one minute and DD (14 mos) decided to "help" me by splashing around in the toilet. YUMMY!!!

Can't wait for the visit!!! I need a drink already!

I was just thinking this the other day when DH offered to steam clean the carpet before his sister comes to visit. I thought just exactly what you said. The kicker is, of course, that I want the house to look nice too, when his family comes so it's not like I can just sit back and leave him to handle the disaster as if I don't care (you know, just to give him a taste of his own medicine).

[MamaKath]

Mine acts like that when anyone comes. Can't seem to get it in his head that I work full-time, have to bring work home, am the primary person dealing with the kids, etc. It's just easier not to have anyone over. I like the maid idea though!!!

[punkrockmama]

Haha. When I lived in the big house, Jim was like that too (not that his parents came down off the moutain to visit with the commoners very often, we usually went there). His mom had a maid that lived with them along with someone else to take care of the kids. So I guess they were used to spotlessness, it that's a word.

I like to keep my place looking decent and I'll totally make sure the toilet's flushed (never know with a four year old). If company's coming I'll sweep the floors and stuff. But I will not bust out a toothbrush on the grout for anyone,lol.

[LarsMal]

But I will not bust out a toothbrush on the grout for anyone,lol.

OH PLEASE...forget the toothbrush. I didn't even mop the floors for them! Gave the old Dyson a whirl around the house, cleaned the bathrooms, and called it clean!

Your comment reminded me, though, of when my friend and I were about 16 and getting ready to go away to the beach for a week. We wanted a little extra cash and were spending the night at my aunt's house. She said she'd pay us $20 to clean the bathrooms and we actually DID clean the grout with toothbrushes! First and last time I ever did that. (Does anyone really clean the grout like that anymore? If so, I'm in big trouble!)

Germs are good!

[rebeccaravit]

My husband's like that when ANYONE comes over. It drives me nuts. I told him when I was pregnant with #2 that I'd like a cleaning lady for the first few months after giving birth and he swore up and down that he'd help me clean the house. 8 months later and I'm still waiting for him to scrub a toilet! But when the heating/AC guy came over to the new house, DH ran around here making beds and dusting!

[amconwa]

Is he used to being criticized by them? That could explain why he's super-sensitive about the house being clean. I usually prefer the house clean when anyone comes over, but since the baby, my standards have lowered. Bwa, ha, ha, ha!

[casey0729]

[/quote]Of course I want the house to be presentable, too, but he makes me feel like it needs to look like it was professionally cleaned. Maybe I should just tell him if he wants it to look THAT good, then I need to hire someone to come and do it. [/quote]


If he wants the house that clean then he should clean it. I clean our house for visitors, but not crazily. I actually enjoy the different passive aggressive ways my MIL comes up with to let me know my house isn't clean enough.

[LarsMal]

If he wants the house that clean then he should clean it. I clean our house for visitors, but not crazily. I actually enjoy the different passive aggressive ways my MIL comes up with to let me know my house isn't clean enough.

If only mine was passive aggressive. One time she flat out asked me to get the vacuum out so she could clean the dust out of a vent in the ceiling upstairs. My FIL was so humiliated. He apologized up and down for that. I was like- whatever, at least she didn't ask ME to clean it! Clean away, MIL, clean away!!

[casey0729]

That's hilarious! When I was in grad school my ILs decided to come one weekend at short notice because we were going to be busy for the next couple of months. Up until the visit I was crazy busy, reading 1000 pages a week so I hadn't dusted every single thing in the house in a while. She was in my room and was looking at my sister's wedding picture. I, of course, was standing next to my sister but my MIL made comments like "is that you? I can't quite see." Then she very deliberately rubbed the dust of my face and said, "oh, there you are." Then she did it slowly to every other person in the picture, after making the same type of comments. "Oh, that's so and so! I couldn't quite see them. Well, don't they look nice under all that!" At the time I was pissed off, but now I use it as an example of her psychosis. I had dusted the rooms we/they were going to spend time in. I don't usually hang out in people's bedrooms for an extended period of time. Whatever. Thank God they live 8 hours away.

[egfmba]

I am going through this RIGHT NOW!!! DH has rented a 14 foot ladder and steam cleaner to clean the house top to bottom for his mother/father and siblings to come over for DS2's first birthday. I wasn't about to go that far. I'm doing what I would have done anyway: cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen, which is where I expect them to spend most of their time, as they're all adults and the other rooms are our bedroom (off limits) and the kids' rooms (where our kids will play).

It's hilarious, actually. The only family member from my family that I expect to actually be here is my mother (my sister never comes because she's 17 and can't bring every one of her friends so she's bored), and my mother doesn't care if the house is a bit dusty. :D

eva